“I am under no illusion that this book will settle the scientific debate over the roles of mankind versus nature in global warming and climate change. Quite the opposite. I am hoping that the scientific debate will finally begin.” These are the final words of author and climatologist, Dr. Roy Spencer in his new book, The Great Global Blunder.

While the mainstream media continues to report that global climate change is real and caused by man, Spencer argues that it is in fact real, but not manmade. He says that global warming is just part of a natural cycle. In fact, he said that cloud cover is one of the “feedbacks” (i.e. causes) of warming and cooling trends.

Spencer is not the first scientist to speak out against the theory that global climate change is manmade. Climate physicist Henrik Svensmark and award winning science writer Nigel Calder also believe that clouds are a cause of global warming. They lay out their theory in “The Chilling Stars A New Theory of Climate Change.”

Spencer argues that scientists who take a risk and offer other ideas for the cause of climate change, are not often published in scientific journals nor are their theories covered by the mainstream media who likes stories that bring the message of doom and gloom.

“Why am I willing to stick my neck out on an issue where there is so much momentum running in the opposite direction? Because the United States is making decisions on energy policy that will literally lead to death and suffering. The environmental lobby, activist news media, opportunistic politicians–and even a few Big Oil interests–have led the public to believe that we can “go green” in generating energy,” writes Spencer.

The truth, Spencer continues, is that there are still no long-term replacements for fossil fuels that are going to make much of a difference to global carbon dioxide emissions in the foreseeable future. It is important to note that by Spencer presenting a theory that global warming is not caused by man, he is thus saying that it is not caused by excessive amounts of carbon dioxide. Therefore, this rush to create policy around greenhouse gas emissions is premature. (Chris Horner argued the same thing in Power Grab which I reviewed last week.)

Although Spencer is a scientist, he does a great job of presenting examples that draw on everyday activities that people engage in, to help explain how clouds and weather patterns affect the Earth’s warming and cooling trends. He also created a “global climate model” that anyone can use on his or her computer. You can check it out at www.drroyspencer.com.

If you are interested in global climate change and are open to delving into alternatives to the cause of climate change other than excessive CO2, then this book is a good resource.